"My theory has always been, that if we are to dream, the flatteries of hope are as cheap, and pleasanter, than the gloom of despair."

Science

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Thematic Reflection

This quotation examines the core nature of Science as articulated by Thomas Jefferson. Within historical and literary traditions, reflections on Science provide actionable mental models, challenging individuals to evaluate personal ethics, self-discipline, and daily actions.

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About Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson was a Founding Father and the third president of the United States, serving from 1801 to 1809. From 1797 to 1801, he served as the second vice president under John Adams. A prolific writer and philosopher, Jefferson was the primary author of the Declaration of Independence. His political philosophy, defined by republicanism, individual liberty, agrarianism, and limited government, formed the basis for Jeffersonian democracy. While he remains celebrated as an icon of American political values, Jefferson is also controversial for having enslaved more than 600 people.

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More by Thomas Jefferson

"Whenever the people are well-informed, they can be trusted with their own government."

— Thomas Jefferson
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"It is our duty still to endeavor to avoid war but if it shall actually take place, no matter by whom brought on, we must defend ourselves. If our house be on fire, without inquiring whether it was fired from within or without, we must try to extinguish it."

— Thomas Jefferson
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"Sometimes it is said that man cannot be trusted with the government of himself. Can he, then be trusted with the government of others? Or have we found angels in the form of kings to govern him? Let history answer this question."

— Thomas Jefferson
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"The care of human life and happiness, and not their destruction, is the first and only object of good government."

— Thomas Jefferson
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More about Science

"The Universe is one great kindergarten for man. Everything that exists has brought with it its own peculiar lesson."

— Orison Swett Marden
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"Time travel used to be thought of as just science fiction, but Einstein's general theory of relativity allows for the possibility that we could warp space-time so much that you could go off in a rocket and return before you set out."

— Stephen Hawking
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"To me there has never been a higher source of earthly honor or distinction than that connected with advances in science."

— Isaac Newton
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"For more than 200 years, materialists have promised that science will eventually explain everything in terms of physics and chemistry. Believers are sustained by the faith that scientific discoveries will justify their beliefs."

— Rupert Sheldrake
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